HONORING A MAN WHO REMEMBERED HIS HUMANITY
by Jonathan Granoff
Dear Nicola Hellmich:
One of the most engaged and well-respected members of the GSI Board of Advisors, Sir Joseph Rotblat, died on August 31, 2005.
The world has lost one the greatest men of the modern age. May we mourn his passing, committing to honor his memory with our work.
Many date the inception of the modern age with the creation of the atomic bomb. The Manhattan Project was designed to deter a potential Nazi bomb. When it became clear that they could not develop such a threat, Dr. Rotblat walked off the Manhattan Project. His courageous actions served as a warning that rationales for the use of these horrific devices could shift, leading to their actual application and the destruction of innocent lives.
Until his passing , he dedicated his intelligence, passion, and resources to a life of service focused on ending the irrationality of pursuing security by risking the very creation itself through the threat to use nuclear weapons. Most recently, he worked to relegate (see his book War No More) the institution of war to be viewed with the same reprehension as slavery – outdated, immoral, and unacceptable. His advice on the practical steps needed to achieve a nuclear weapons free world were always wisely focused on the political dynamics of the moment, advancing policies such as no first use, lowered reliance on the weapons, deep irreversible and verifiable cuts, and de-alerting – always with the clear goal of abolition.
His advice to us all can be summarized in his Nobel speech Remember Your Humanity . He demonstrated how to do that by the way he lived – with clarity, courage, humility, humor, intelligence, dedication, selfless service, joy, wisdom, love, patience, and inspiration. His honoring of conscience and the sacredness of life by working to abolish nuclear weapons, end war, and recover common sense and human dignity in the affairs of state, will continue to inspire and guide many of us.
All who walked with him can truly say that we knew a real human being who lived life in an exemplary manner, with a lightness of heart and gentleness of person in contrast to the weightiness of the subjects he addressed. He showed us that to remember our humanity involves being the change we wish to see and that being a person of peace is part of the process of moving the world from the cult of violence to the culture of peace.
May each intention of his heart of gold shine as a thousand suns of blessings of love upon him and all of us who must carry on his work in this world of contrasts and limitations. May the Creator of the mystery of life and death bless Joseph Rotblat with unlimited love and peace. May we honor his memory with strengthened commitment to bring about the kind of world where nuclear weapons and war have no place, a world where people with values such as Dr. Rotblat's guide public affairs.
God bless Joseph Rotblat and give us courage to accept his guidance.
Very truly yours,
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Sen. Roche, Dr. Rotblat, and Patricia McGoey (2002) |
Jonathan Granoff
President, Global Security Institute
Senator Douglas Roche, O.C.
Chairman, Middle Powers Initiative